I wouldn't be the biggest fan of O'Briens as a rule. That is not to say that I don't like the food at O'Briens; their sandwiches are pretty good as a rule, and I like the little touch of the handful of crisps at the side. It's just it wouldn't be the place that I would automatically think of if I was out and about and wanted a sandwich.
But there was a time a little over a year ago when we were making a short film set in a car dealership. We found a car dealership in Bluebell industrial estate that was willing to let us film there. It's no small wonder that we found our location there, as Bluebell industrial estate (or JFK Trading Centre, as it is officially and perplexingly known) is an endless windblown expanse of acres of car dealerships and related industries.
The place we were filming was set a bit off the main road, and seemingly miles away from the nearest shops. This left us with the tricky business of finding somewhere to feed and water out actors in some bit of comfort, but lo and behold, what should we happen upon in this desolate end of west Dublin industrial apocalyptico but an O'Briens Irish Sandwich Bar, dead in the middle of the industrial estate and a hop and skip away from where we were filming.
The existence of an O'Briens in this locale would in itself warrant a four-star review, but this O'Briens happens to be an unusually nice branch of the franchise, possibly the nicest O'Briens that I've ever been in.
I feel that sometimes that the furnishings in O'Briens can be a little bit Spartan, but this was not the case of the one in Bluebell. Bright yellow and blue armchairs, nice coffee tables, totally incongruous with its setting but all the more welcoming for it.
If you happen to find it necessary to head out to Bluebell industrial estate, keep an eye out for the O'Briens, right after Phoenix Motors, near the back. read more